A former Love Island star accused of verbally attacking Jewish tourists has hit back at claims he instigated the fight.
Sophie, an American tourist, was visiting Perth’s Kings Park on Wednesday when she and her partner crossed paths with Sadee sub Laban and another woman.
Sophie was heard in a video chanting ‘Am Yisrael Chai’, a Jewish solidarity chant, and claimed Mr sub Laban and the unnamed woman had ‘attacked her’.
‘They saw my Magen David (Star of David),’ Sophie said.
Mr sub Laban, a Sydney law student who appeared on Love Island in 2021, responded by accusing the tourists of supporting a genocide, referencing Israel’s ongoing conflict with Palestine, and calling them ‘gronks’.
‘Youse are gronks, that’s what youse are, youse are genocide… the children killer,’ he said.
In response to widespread condemnation of his rant, including from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mr sub Laban shared two videos recounting his side of the confrontation.
The woman with Mr sub Laban had been filming their walk of the park and captured the moment the conflict started.
Sadee sub Laban (pictured during 2021 Love Island) was filmed arguing with Jewish tourists in Perth
Sophie (pictured) was heard chanting ‘Am Yisrael Chai’, a Jewish solidarity chant, and claimed Mr sub Laban and the unnamed woman had ‘attacked her’
He claimed the man with Sophie had yelled ‘all glory to Israel’ after seeing their ‘cultural dress’.
While the audio in the footage is unclear, the man with Sophie can be heard saying ‘Israel’ before Mr sub Laban replied ‘free Palestine’.
‘I am a Palestinian – born, bred,’ Mr sub Laban said in his video.
‘I come from Jerusalem, I have experienced what’s going on over there.
‘That’s something that’s traumatic for me to hear.’
Mr sub Laban also addressed a comment Sophie made during her video about him seeing her Magen David.
It was previously reported Sophie was wearing a Star of David necklace but the necklace seen in the video does not appear to feature the religious symbol.
However, it is not clear if Sophie was wearing the symbol elsewhere.
Mr sub Laban (left) claimed a man with Sophie had yelled ‘all glory to Israel’, triggering the fight
Sophie earlier told The West she believed Mr sub Laban and the woman were ‘deliberately threatening and intimidating’.
‘(Mr sub Laban) told me to shut up. He tried to push my husband,’ she said.
‘I was petrified he was going to attack my husband and my husband was petrified he was going to attack me.’
Western Australian premier Roger Cook condemned the exchange on Friday.
‘I call on everybody to continue to observe and make sure that we keep WA a peaceful place,’ he said.
‘No amount of religious or cultural intolerance and intimidation or discrimination is acceptable in my community and I think that’s shared by all Western Australians.
‘Police can’t be everywhere, we can’t stop outbreaks of anti-social behaviour but I think we all, as a community, condemn that sort of behaviour.’
Mr Cook acknowledged both sides had harshly insulted the other but called for people to resolve conflicts peacefully.
‘I don’t know if police are investigating. It was a good stand up stoush and I call on all sides of this debate, please, let’s keep Western Australia peaceful,’ he said.
His comments were echoed by Mr Albanese, who called the confrontation ‘abhorrent’.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted both Mr sub Laban and Sophie for further comment.
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